IMG_0457 38.jpg
IMG_0457 38.jpg

El Salvador - Atiquizaya Tabi

from $15.00

The Pan-American Highway, a 19,000-mile motorable roadway from northern Alaska to the tip of Chile, runs the east/west length of El Salvador and around mile marker 6170 miles, in the Apaneca-Illamatepec Mountain Range coffee region, is the city of Santa Ana. Make a turn southwest and approximately 25 miles down the road is Cerro Las Ranas, translated Frog Hill, due to the abundance of frogs.  It is here our coffee is cultivated, on the outskirts of the small hamlet of Tapacun, by the Duarte family who owns Finca Miravalles, translated Valley View, named for the beautiful views flanked by the Omoa and Juayua Valley’s. The nearby town of Atiquizaya, and the coffee’s name sake, is derived from the Nahuatl indigenous language meaning “The place of the stones” and Tabi is the cultivar varietal. The rich volcanic soils yield yet another delicious Central American brew. The Nahuatl would say Paqui to express happiness or pleasure. Amy and I wish you “Paqui” in this most satisfying cup with distant visions of a sunrise glistening over the low hanging mist between the Omoa and Juayua Valleys upon this elevated celestial peak…  “The place of the stones.”

Process: Washed… entire cherry fruit flesh is removed from the bean which is subsequently dried.

Elevation: 4920 feet

Aroma: On the grind… dark malt, sweet spice… perhaps tobacco. On the brew… sorghum/slightly sweet syrup, malty/roasted barley.

Flavor: toast and honey… transforms to cocoa bittersweet, syrupy mouthfeel with sustaining smokey overtones.

Roast: Medium… medium body, smooth… tea-like acidic snap.

Size:

The Pan-American Highway, a 19,000-mile motorable roadway from northern Alaska to the tip of Chile, runs the east/west length of El Salvador and around mile marker 6170 miles, in the Apaneca-Illamatepec Mountain Range coffee region, is the city of Santa Ana. Make a turn southwest and approximately 25 miles down the road is Cerro Las Ranas, translated Frog Hill, due to the abundance of frogs.  It is here our coffee is cultivated, on the outskirts of the small hamlet of Tapacun, by the Duarte family who owns Finca Miravalles, translated Valley View, named for the beautiful views flanked by the Omoa and Juayua Valley’s. The nearby town of Atiquizaya, and the coffee’s name sake, is derived from the Nahuatl indigenous language meaning “The place of the stones” and Tabi is the cultivar varietal. The rich volcanic soils yield yet another delicious Central American brew. The Nahuatl would say Paqui to express happiness or pleasure. Amy and I wish you “Paqui” in this most satisfying cup with distant visions of a sunrise glistening over the low hanging mist between the Omoa and Juayua Valleys upon this elevated celestial peak…  “The place of the stones.”

Process: Washed… entire cherry fruit flesh is removed from the bean which is subsequently dried.

Elevation: 4920 feet

Aroma: On the grind… dark malt, sweet spice… perhaps tobacco. On the brew… sorghum/slightly sweet syrup, malty/roasted barley.

Flavor: toast and honey… transforms to cocoa bittersweet, syrupy mouthfeel with sustaining smokey overtones.

Roast: Medium… medium body, smooth… tea-like acidic snap.

Approximately the size of Connecticut and Delaware, El Salvador is bordered northwest by Guatemala and northeast by Honduras with the entire south bordering the Pacific Ocean. Although 148th in world population, El Salvador’s diminutive size contributes to the countries rank of 109th most populated and 26th most densely populated in the world.  Geopolitics and location have proven a difficult hand to play for El Salvador leading to chronic political and economic instability characterized by coups, revolts, gang violence and a succession of authoritarian rulers.  The 1979-1992 Civil War included the death squad assassination of Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Romero, now canonized a saint, who as “voice of the voiceless” denounced injustices and massacres committed against civilians by government forces. Tension with its neighbors, especially Honduras, has resulted in violent forceful removal of illegal El Salvadoran immigrants.

Located in the “Ring of Fire”, where most of the Earth’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, El Salvador claims 22 active volcanos with San Miguel and Santa Ana being among the world’s largest, tallest and most active. Although the country has been challenged, currently, things do seem to be on the mend. Due to austere security measures, the countries gang violence and crime have seen a dramatic decrease resulting in plummeting migratory flight, a return of ex-pats, reinvigorated tourism and an influx of foreign investment.

Additionally, El Salvador is blessed with the natural beauty of six terrestrial ecosystems to include 500 bird species, 1000 butterfly species, 400 orchid species, 800 tree species, and 800 marine fish species.  Including the natural beauty, surfing and beaches, along with a vibrant nightlife, along the 191-mile Pacific Coastline and it seems the country has a base for optimism. In the grip of such uncertainty, we are fortunate to procure what is among the world’s most deliciously balanced coffee… the coffee where a single cup easily segways to a second cup followed by a third cup.  Such easy drinking brews that you can’t drink just one. 

Process: Washed… entire cherry fruit flesh is removed from the bean which is subsequently dried.

Elevation: 4920 feet